Walgreens turns spotlight on mobile Rx services

The Refill by Scan Rx tool uses a smartphone's camera to scan a prescription barcode.

Refill by Scan, part of Walgreens' free, downloadable mobile application, enables patients to use a smartphone camera to scan the barcode on a prescription drug label and then order a refill. Refill by Scan also gives users the option to change their store pickup location as well as the pickup time and day.

The drug store chain said Thursday that Refill by Scan was launched on the its mobile app last year and has been available for Android and iPhone users since November (Walgreens also offers a mobile app for Blackberry devices).

And less than four months after becoming available for the iPhone and Android platforms, the feature accounts for more than half of all prescription refills ordered through Walgreens mobile apps, according to the company.

"Our customers have enthusiastically adopted our mobile applications, and we're continuing to bring innovative technology to our online and mobile platforms to enhance the customer experience," Sona Chawla, president of e-commerce at Walgreens, said in a statement.

"With refill by scan, prescription text alerts, unique photo features and the ability to shop or browse products all available on a mobile device, we're adding new levels of choice, control and convenience for our rapidly growing numbers of mobile customers," Chawla added.

Walgreens also said Thursday that its prescription text alert mobile tool has topped 1 million subscribers. Introduced last March, the alerts notify customers via text message when their prescriptions are ready. The feature is available through any mobile device with texting capabilities.

The drug chain added that other features of its mobile app include the ability to access to prescription history, order photo prints, find a nearby Walgreens store or Take Care health clinic, browse products and check their in-store availability, and shop from a smartphone.